GATEWAY IS A PREMIER MONTESSORI PRESCHOOL & KINDERGARTEN

WELCOME

Welcome to Gateway Montessori School of Longmont, Colorado, USA, where we foster a love for learning in toddler, preschool, and kindergarten aged students in Longmont, Colorado, USA. Our dedicated team is here to provide a nurturing environment where your child can thrive and grow.

At Gateway Montessori, we believe that every child is unique and has the potential to achieve greatness. That's why we offer a holistic approach to education, focusing on developing the whole child - intellectually, emotionally, socially, and physically.

Our Montessori curriculum empowers students to become independent learners, critical thinkers, and compassionate individuals. Through hands-on activities and guided exploration, children develop a love for learning that will last a lifetime. We are Boulder County’s premier Montessori nonprofit  private school specializing in early childhood education. 

Residing in Longmont, Colorado, USA, for over 40 years,

Gateway Montessori School set the standard for providing the highest quality Montessori experience.  Our unwavering integrity and commitment to classic Montessori principles has set us apart from other preschool/ kindergarten programs. 

Gateway Montessori School is licensed by the State of Colorado, and has achieved a Level 3 Colorado Shines Rating.  Gateway is also a validated Montessori School through CMA, (Colorado Montessori Association), and a member of AMS, (American Montessori Society), and NAMTA,  (North American Montessori Teachers Association), and member in good standing of Longmont Chamber of Commerce.  Recognised as a lactation friendly workplace by the State of Colorado, We have also earned the Healthy Eating, Active Living designation from Boulder County Health Department and the Eco-Healthy Child Care designation from Children’s Environmental Health Network. 

Visiting Gateway Montessori could be the most important first step
in your child’s journey to become the best possible “adult self’. 

Welcome!

THE VISION


Gateway Montessori School is a nonprofit corporation established in 1982, and is located in the heart of Longmont, Colorado.  At Gateway our belief is that parents are the primary educators of their young children.  We work with parents to provide the best possible advantages for their children from preschool through kindergarten.

For over 40 years, Gateway has set the standard for providing the highest quality Montessori experience in the Longmont area.  Our unwavering commitment to classic Montessori principles sets us apart.  The Montessori experience is not simply a preparation for elementary school it is a preparation for life.  Your child is not simply “taught” discreet academic skills, they are shown how to learn.  Our core mission is to ignite in children a deep love of learning and a sense of personal competence that will support their well-being and success into adulthood.

OUR MISSION

 Gateway Montessori School is dedicated to serving the families in the community by providing a high quality Montessori education to children and families. We foster the growth of the whole child. Each child is respected as an individual and is encouraged to develop at each child’s own pace. We believe that each child is unique and special in their personalities and individual development styles. We nurture the love of learning by laying the foundations for a healthy, creative life.

 Our History: Gateway Montessori School was founded in 1982 by Karen Grant and Dr. Michael C. Grant through their love for children and their desire to spread Montessori philosophy to our families and community. Nearly four decades later, Gateway Montessori School still operates with this same honest intention of spreading Montessori education to best serve the bright, healthy futures of our children.

 GMS is a not-for-profit, tax-exempt corporation that relies on student tuition and contributions for income. Our school is administered by a board of directors, and is licensed by the Colorado Department of Human Services. We are a member of the American Montessori Society. Gateway Montessori School does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, age, gender, national or ethnic origin, religion, ancestry, sexual orientation, or disability in any aspect of its operations, programs, policies, or procedures.

 Our board of directors consists mainly of past parents, alumni, and likeminded individuals who desire to bring Montessori education into the greater community. Please ask the office for more information as to how you can serve as a board member.
 

Board of Directors:

Mary Benedict, President
Bill VanDusen, Vice-President
Emily Hudson, Treasurer
Marcy McGurgan, Secretary
Luke Hedger

OUR PHILOSOPHY


The Montessori Method is a child-centered educational approach that recognizes the child as naturally eager for knowledge and capable of initiating learning when provided with a supportive, thoughtfully prepared environment and sequential, hands-on learning materials.  It is an approach that values the human spirit and the development of the child as a whole.  We believe that the task of childhood is to create the adult.  We attempt to aid the child in creating the best possible “adult self” by structuring a special, child-oriented environment which meets the needs of each individual within the context of a peer group.

Montessori is neither a rigid system nor is it a “free for all”.  It is a highly structured program which allows the child to experience a great deal of personal freedom within well-defined limits.  Each child has a measure of freedom; each child is expected to assume a measure of responsibility.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

  • Learning occurs in a Cooperative Atmosphere marked by Social Interaction and Peer Teaching.

  • A Primary Goal of Montessori Education is to foster Competent, Responsible, Adaptive Citizens
    who are Lifelong Learners and Problem Solvers.

  • Learning Takes Place Through the Senses. 
    Students learn by Manipulating Concrete Material and Interacting with Others. 
    These Meaningful Experiences are Precursors to the Abstract Understanding of Ideas.

  • The Child is considered as a Whole.
    The Physical, Emotional, Social, Aesthetic, Spiritual, and Cognitive
    needs and interests are inseparable and equally important. 

  • Respect and Caring Attitudes for Oneself, Others, the Environment, and All Life, are Necessary.

Meet the team

SELECT INDIVIDUAL NAMES TO READ OUR EDUCATOR BIOS:

EYLISCH PORTER
ASSISTANT TEACHER

DAISY & DAFFODIL
TODDLER CLASSROOMS

ANAYELI VAZQUEZ
LEAD TEACHER

BLUEBELL CLASSROOM

MARYEL ADAMS
LEAD TEACHER

LILAC CLASSROOM

DENISE CRUZ
ASSISTANT TEACHER

LILAC CLASSROOM

CECELIA ADAMS
ASSISTANT FLOATER

ALL CLASSROOMS

REYN HEDGER
SCHOOL DIRECTOR

GATEWAY MONTESSORI SCHOOL
OF LONGMONT, COLORADO

NANCY MITCHELL
LEAD TEACHER

DAISY & DAFFODIL
TODDLER CLASSROOMS

EMILY YODER
LEAD TEACHER

BLUEBELL CLASSROOM +
LEAD TEACHER FOR KINDERGARTEN

ANDREA CHACON
ASSISTANT TEACHER

LILAC CLASSROOM

YUKA ILSEMAN
SUBSTITUTE TEACHER

ALL CLASSROOMS

COOPER
THERAPY PUP

OFFICE AT GATEWAY

LAURA ARCHIBOLD
ASSISTANT TEACHER

DAISY & DAFFODIL
TODDLER CLASSROOMS

VICTORIA SHADWICK
ASSISTANT TEACHER

BLUEBELL CLASSROOM

TESSA DAWSON
LEAD TEACHER

LILAC CLASSROOM

ZAYDA LUCERO
ASSISTANT TEACHER

LILAC CLASSROOM

EIREANN DUNBAR
OFFICE MANAGER

GATEWAY MONTESSORI SCHOOL

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*The majority of our Website’s GMS Staff Bio Portraits & Gateway Montessori Classroom Stock Photography:
Thanks to Lisa Doane Photography.


.

REYN HEDGER
DIRECTOR OF GATEWAY MONTESSORI SCHOOL


Maria Montessori said, "Our aim is not merely to make the children understand, and still less to force him to memorize, but so to touch his imagination as to enthuse him to his inmost core." 

I discovered my love of Montessori and children when my daughter was turning 3 and I discovered Gateway Montessori. I fell in love with this place the moment I walked in. I have 2 children, both in their early 30's and they both attended Gateway. I love meaningful quotes, learning, spending time with my family, my dog Cooper and my two cats, Figaro & Frannie. 

Magda Gerba said, "Be careful what you teach, it might interfere with what they are learning."

I earned a Master of Arts in Education with Honors from St. Catherine University, a Bachelor’s of Arts in Spanish and Religion from Cornell College. I also earned my Montessori Early Childhood Credential from Montessori Education Center of the Rockies in 1999, and completed my Montessori Administrator Credential from Montessori Education Center of the Rockies in 2017. I have been teaching since 1993, with 6 years at Gateway before becoming Gateway’s Head of School in 2013.

"It's not our job to toughen our children up to face a cruel and heartless world. It's our job to raise children who will make the world a little less cruel and heartless." L. R. Knost

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES


Gateway Montessori School offers opportunities for advancement within the empowering Montessori approach to education. We are an accredited school, and we work with the Colorado Shines Program, and its online training format and credential database.
While Gateway Montessori School is not actively hiring for any positions at the moment, you are more than welcome to submit your Cover Letter, Resume, and Credentials, for consideration for an opening with us in future. Thank you for your interest.

TESTIMONIALS

“My child’s Pre-School Classroom Teachers at Gateway Montessori are truly dedicated and passionate Guides for students in the Montessori Approach; They are compassionate, gentle yet firm, organised, receptive, and excellent leaders. Her teachers celebrate each child and also offer tailored guidance for their ever-expanding learning and exploratory edges. I so appreciate the love and respect they keep for all students and the learning process so wonderfully. I like the nuance of focused, NVC, and positively directed language and quiet vocal volume to motivate and inspire students powerfully, (among other ways in which they empower and model for our future: In becoming confident, self-sufficient, resilient, and integrated human beings..) Thank you, Gateway Montessori and Teachers, our family is blessed for life, for your priceless, highly valuable educational experience!”

~ E. D. , Fullfilled Parent